Rail-joint.



No. 746,487. PATENTED 1330.8,190'3.

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. APPLIOATION FORD. I K L JOINT FILED SEPT. 10, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented December 8, 1903.

CHARLES G. FORD, OF ROSEVILLE, OHIO.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 746,487, dated December 8; 1903..

Application filed September 10, 1903. Serial No. 172,673. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES G. FORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Roseville, in the county of Muskingum and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in RailJoint of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to new and useful improvements in railway-rail joints; and the object of the invention is to provide a joint of the character mentioned which is simple in construction and which will obviate transverse and vertical movement of the rail ends with relation to each other, thereby preventing spreading and pounding of the rails when the car-wheels are passing thereover.

The invention consists in the novel construction of the rail-joint, which will be more fully described hereinafter and the novelty thereof particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed.

I have fully and clearly illustrated my invention in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and wherein- Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a railjoint embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central vertical section through the improved rail-joint. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the rail ends, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the end of the opposite rail to that shown in Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, the invention is shown as being employed in connection with rails of the well-known T-form embodying tread-sections 1, vertical webs 2, and horizontal flanged bases 3. At their end portions, at the point at which the joint is formed, the web of the rails is made of increased or greater thickness, as at 2, than the main body of the rail in order to add strength and rigidity to the rail-joint.

In order to construct the joint embodying my invention, the base of one of the rails adjacent the end thereof is cut away, so that the tread and web portions project beyond the body of the rail and provide a recess 4, as clearly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The web and tread of the rail are projected beyond the base for a suitable distance, and the web is formed on its bottom face with a centrallyarranged longitudinal rib or projection 5,

which at its front end terminates flush with the end of the rail and at its rear end stops a distance short of the end of the base, so that a recess 6 is formed between the end of said rib and the base 3. The rib 5 is of less thickness than the enlarged portion of the web, whereby overhanging shoulders 7 are formed on both sides of said rib and extend the full length thereof for a purpose to be fully set forth hereinafter.

The rail constituting the opposite member of the joint from that just described has its tread and web portions cut away to provide a longitudinally-projecting base or tongue 8, which is formed with a centrally-arranged flattened horizontal face or seat 9, in which is located a longitudinal slot 10 of less width than the width of said surface and which extends from the base of the web portion to a point short of the end of the base, whereby a connecting or transverse bridge-piece 11 is formed at the end of said base. The slot 10 is constructed to,receive the rib 5, formed on the projecting web of the opposite rail, and the flat face 9 constitutes a seat upon which the shoulders 7 rest when the joint is made, the bridge-piece 11 being then located within the recess 6 between the end of the rib 5 and the adjacent end of the base, as shown clearly in Fig. 2.

12 12 designate splice-bars comprising vertical portions 13, adapted to engage the meeting webs of the rails and extending a suitable distance either side their point of meeting, and base-flanges 14, which rest fiat upon the bases of the rails, the usual transverse bolts 15 being projected through the vertical portions of the bars and elongated slots 17 in the webs of the rails and secured by nuts 16 for the purpose of fastening said bars in position and completing the rail-joint. The bars 12 are formed at their lower edges with recesses 18, adapted'to receive spikes (not shown) by means of which the joint is fastened to the cross-tie in a well-known manner.

It will be seen by the construction just described and as shown inthe drawings that all transverse movement of the rails with relation to each other is obviated, the rib 5 and slot 10 cooperating to effectively accomplish that purpose, and that the interengagement of the projecting web on the one rail and the extended base on the other, in combination with the splice-bars, prevents vertical movement and consequent pounding of the rails. It will also be seen that while transverse movement either vertically or horizontally is prevented the longitudinal movement incident to expansion and contraction of the rails is in no way restricted.

Having thus described the invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The'combination of the meeting rails, one of which is formed with a projecting tread andweb portion, a centrally-arranged rib on the bottom of the web, and a recess between the rear end of the rib and the end of the railbase, the other rail being provided with a projecting base formed with a slot to receive the rib on the opposite rail-web, and a crosspiece to be seated within the recess therein,

splice-bars engaging the webs of the rails and means to hold said bars in position.

2. The combination of the meeting rails,

one of which is formed with a projecting tread and Web portion, a centrally-arranged rib on the bottom of the Web, shoulders on both sides of the rib and extending the full length thereof and a recess between the rear. end of the rib and the end of the rail-base, the other rail being provided with a projecting base formed with a flat surface, a longitudinallyextending slot therein of less width than the Width of said surface, and a cross-piece the slot being adapted to receive the rib on the opposite rail and the fiat surface forming a seat upon which the said shoulders rest, the cross-piece being seated within the recess in the opposite rail, splice -bars engaging the rails and means to hold the bars in position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES G. FORD. Witnesses:

J. N. OWENS, O. E. PORTER. 

